Sarcoidosis and arthritis both cause joint pain due to the immune system attacking the body’s tissues. The cause of both conditions is unknown, but they can be treated with medication. Sarcoidosis symptoms may come and go, while rheumatoid arthritis can cause bodily deformities if left untreated.
Both sarcoidosis and arthritis can cause joint pain in patients, making simple movements uncomfortable. Rheumatoid arthritis and sarcoidosis share some similar characteristics, and some theorize that a connection may exist. Little is known about the cause of sarcoidosis and arthritis. Both rheumatoid arthritis and sarcoidosis are caused by the immune system attacking the body’s tissues, causing the cartilage and other materials in the joints of the bones to break down.
Chronic joint pain can be caused by sarcoidosis and arthritis. Some patients suffering from sarcoidosis may, however, only suffer from temporary joint pain, which comes and goes on its own. With sarcoidosis, lumps grow in a person’s joints, leading to joint pain. When a person suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, the condition wears down the cartilage and meniscus of the person, also causing joint pain.
What causes a person to develop rheumatoid arthritis or sarcoidosis is still a mystery to healthcare professionals. Some researchers theorize that both sarcoidosis and arthritis are genetic or are inherited from one or both parents. Other theories about the cause of both conditions point to one or more specific substances a person is exposed to in their surroundings that trigger sarcoidosis or arthritis.
Sarcoidosis and arthritis both involve an immune system response that leads to inflammation of cells. When a person has sarcoidosis, the body’s immune system sends out white blood cells to isolate tissue that the immune system has identified as foreign or harmful. White blood cells introduce chemicals into the joints, causing inflammation and pain. People with rheumatoid arthritis experience joint pain when the immune system also attacks the joints and other body tissues.
Treatments for sarcoidosis and arthritis both focus on relieving any joint varnish or other inflammation caused by the condition. A variety of medications are available to help relieve the pain of people suffering from both conditions. Currently, there is no cure for either rheumatoid arthritis or sarcoidosis.
Despite the similarities between the two conditions, sarcoidosis and arthritis differ in their symptoms and sometimes in their treatment. Most people with sarcoidosis have only mild symptoms. Sarcoidosis symptoms may come and go over time as the inflammation goes away on its own. The lumps of cells caused by sarcoidosis may even stop growing in size or even shrink on their own.
Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, doesn’t go away on its own over time. Indeed, if rheumatoid arthritis is not treated, it can cause bodily deformities. When treated with medications, rheumatoid arthritis patients can continue to function. In extreme cases, rheumatoid arthritis may only be treatable with surgery.
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